This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent application No. 11-347727, filed Dec. 7, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a commodity sale registration system including shelf labels disposed on the display shelves or on the commodities and indicating the price information of the commodities respectively.
Conventionally, the commodity sale registration system is used for time service sale in a super market or the like selling foods and gives customers the service price information changed automatically at a specified time from the normal price information of the commodities indicated on the shelf labels.
For example, the system disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 5-314029 comprises, as shown in FIG. 9, a central controller 1 called a store controller and a shelf label 2 called a price indicator disposed on the commodity display shelf, and indication changing time and changed data are stored in the central controller 1. At a predetermined time before the indication changing time indication changing time and changed data for time service sale are sent to the shelf label 2.
The shelf label includes a clock means 3 for clocking and outputting the current time, a receiving means 4 for receiving radio signals from the central controller 1, a storage means 5 for storing data indication changing time and changed data received from the central controller 1, and an indication changing means for comparing the current time clocked by means of the clock means 3 and the indication changing time stored in the storage means 5 regularly with each other and for changing the data indicated by means of the indicator 6 to the changed data stored in the storage means 5 when the current time coincides with the indication changing time.
Now, time service sale is often carried out for a specified time zone, for example, from 15:00 to 17:00, and according to this time zone the price information of a commodity indicated on the shelf label 2 are changed to a service price at 15:00 and are returned to a normal price at 17:00. Moreover, the terminal equipment such as cash register or the like making both commodity registration processing and accounting processing with the customers is connected with the central controller 1, and according to the instructions from this central controller 1 the price of a relevant commodity is changed to the service price at 15:00 and is returned to the normal price at 17:00.
Therefore, even if a customer expects to purchase a commodity at the service price about 16:50 according to the indication of the shelf label 2, the service price may have been returned to the normal price because the time is after 17:00 when the relevant commodity is registered by means of the terminal equipment due to a crowded store or subsequent behaviors of the customer. In such a case there is a difference between the price of the commodity that the customer has expected and the actually registered price of the commodity, what leads to problems.
The present invention has an object of providing a commodity sale system and a shelf label enabling customers to purchase time service sale commodities at a discount price with a time margin at the register in the store in a time zone in which time service sale is carried out by using a shelf label.
Therefore, the invention prevents problems due to a different price in registering a commodity by indicating not only the price of the commodity but also the ending time of service sale or a period of time till the ending time on the shelf label in order to arouse customers"" attention.
In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a commodity sale registration system comprising: a central controller 11 for storing information including price information of each commodity, a terminal equipment connected with the central controller for making both sale registration processing of commodities purchased by customers based upon the price information of each commodity stored in the central controller and accounting processing with the customers based upon the registered sum of money, and a shelf label located on the commodity display shelf corresponding to each commodity and having an indicator for indicating information including price information received from the central controller, and the shelf label includes a first indication means for indicating a special price on the indicator when the current time is within a predetermined time zone and indicating a normal price thereon when the current time is not within the predetermined time zone, and second indication means for indicating either the ending time of the predetermined time zone or remaining time acquired by subtracting the current time from the ending time on the indicator when the current time is within the predetermined time zone.
The shelf label further includes a waiting time acquisition means for acquiring estimated accounting processing waiting time for a customer from the terminal equipment via the central controller and a third indication means for indicating the estimated waiting time acquired by means of the waiting time acquisition means on the indicator.
The shelf label further includes a third indication means for indicating a period of time acquired by subtracting the estimated accounting processing waiting time acquired by means of the waiting time acquisition means from remaining time acquired by subtracting the current time from the ending time in the predetermined time zone as allowance time on the indicator when the current time is within the predetermined time zone.
The shelf label further includes a means for giving a warning by using the indicator when the allowance time is shorter than the predetermined period of time.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.